On Wednesday, King Felipe paid a visit to his mother, Queen Sofia, who had been hospitalized the previous day at the age of 85 due to a urinary tract infection.
The 56-year-old monarch was captured smiling behind the wheel of his car after spending time by his mother’s side at the Ruber Clinic in Madrid.
It was reported that Felipe gave an update on Queen Sofia’s health, telling media outside the hospital: “She is very well, cheerful and eager to be discharged and return as soon as possible.”
Queen Sofia, renowned for her robust health, maintains a busy schedule of engagements, providing support to her son King Felipe and daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia. Her most recent public appearance was on Saturday, attending the wedding reception of Teresa Urquijo, 28, and the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, 48.
Arriving at the reception in a car, Sofia missed the ceremony, which was attended by her husband, King Juan Carlos, along with their two daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina. Also present were Elena’s two children, Victoria and Felipe, as well as one of Cristina’s sons, Juan.
Originally born Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark, she married Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1962, upon his accession to the throne in 1975.
Juan Carlos and Sofia share three children – Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina, and King Felipe. After her husband’s abdication in favor of their son Felipe in 2014, Sofia has focused on her charitable activities, dividing her time between La Zarzuela in Madrid and the Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca during the summer months.
There was apparent tension between Sofia and her daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia, during an uncomfortable photocall at the 2018 Easter Mass service. However, they seem to have reconciled their differences in recent years. Felipe and Letizia showed their support for Sofia at the funeral of her late brother, King Constantine of Greece, in Athens in January 2023.
Queen Sofia is a grandmother to Felipe and Letizia’s daughters, Princess Leonor, 18, who is the heir to the Spanish throne, and Infanta Sofia, 16. Additionally, she has six more grandchildren from her daughters Elena and Cristina.
